Surviving the Journey: The Story of the Oregon Trail

by Danny Kravitz

Overview

Imagine leaving your home and moving across the country to a new life on the unknown frontier. That's exactly what thousands of people did in the mid 1800s when they traveled along the Oregon Trail, chasing their dreams of a better life out West. Lively language, historical illustrations, and primary source journal entries from settlers help readers feel as if they were a part of the journey. Meets Common Core critical thinking standards, and provides strong ties to social studies standards on westward expansion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781491401927
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	07/01/2014
Series:	Capstone Adventures on the American Frontier Series
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.75(w) x 8.75(h) x 0.13(d)
Lexile:	910L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 10 Years

About the Author

Danny Kravitz is an Emmy award-winning writer, songwriter, and a professor of screenwriting at Columbia College in Chicago. He has written for TV, film, and print media. A lover of history and the stories contained within, Danny combines his passion for storytelling with the amazing facts of the past. He is also a sports and nature enthusiast. He resides in Chicago, Illinois.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Adventure of a Lifetime 4

Chapter 2 Westward Ho! The Journey Begins 8

Chapter 3 The Frontier Awaits 14

Chapter 4 The Journey Continues 20

Chapter 3 Are We There Yet? 36

Timeline 28

Glossary 30

Read More 31

Internet Sites 31

Critical Thinking Using the Common Core 32

Index 32

Editorial Reviews

11/01/2014
Gr 3–5—Some of the most exciting, pivotal times in American history are explored in these titles. Each book begins with a hook—a lively anecdote or a climactic situation—to pull readers in. For instance, Discovering the West starts with the Lewis and Clark expedition 16 months into the journey, when the explorers were tired and near starving. The narrative then rewinds and explains how the group of disparate individuals found themselves in this predicament. The text brims with amazing bits of information that are worthy of any "Ripley's" book: for instance, railroad workers were lowered in reed baskets to plant dynamite in the sides of mountains. Occasional sidebars offer "Fun Facts," such as how, during the Gold Rush, stores sold "California gold grease," a concoction that guaranteed that it would draw gold to those who rubbed it on their skin and rolled down the mountain. Solid entries that make history intriguing.

School Library Journal